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Drenching rains flood parts of Doña Ana County

Roads closed as showers begin to recede

By James Staley

jstaley@lcsun-news.com

@auguststaley on Twitter

Posted:
09/12/2013 11:18:53 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

An arroyo that runs underneath Dunn Drive on the East Mesa in Las Cruces flows with heavy rainwater Thursday after a severe thunderstorm hit Doña Ana County and surrounding areas over night and through the early morning.

LAS CRUCES - Lingering heavy rains have soaked most of Doña Ana County, forcing some residents out of their flooded homes, stranding others inside, damaging business facilities and closing major roadways Thursday.

The south valley has been the most affected area within Doña Ana County. Similarly drenching rains have fallen on El Paso and much of New Mexico, particularly the state's southeast quadrant. Hundreds of homes in Eddy County have been evacuated and state officials dispatched a National Guard helicopter to the swollen Pecos River, according to the Associated Press.

Flooding hasn't been that severe locally, officials said. Still, it has been challenging enough that the American Red Cross has been running a shelter in Vado - the only other New Mexico Red Cross shelters are in Eddy County - where five evacuees were staying as of late Thursday.

It's the summer's third flooding evacuation for some Vado residents.

Earlier Thursday there were reports of flooding in the communities of La Union and, up north, in Doña Ana.

In Sunland Park, police received "three or four" reports of flooded homes, Sgt. Javier Diaz said. He estimated about 60 residents there were stuck in their apartment complex due to a "river of water" that prevented them from driving away.
Authorities sent road closure alerts affecting Sunland Park and Anthony, N.M. throughout Thursday. New Mexico State Police shut down the intersection of N.M. 404 and N.M. 478, near the state line. Employees at an Anthony, N.M. business spent a chunk of their day sweeping water out of a warehouse.

Those employees may have more cleaning and drying to do after Friday, when there is still a significant chance of rain according to the National Weather Service, but the storm should wane soon after that, one meteorologist said.

The National Weather Service extended area flash flood watches multiple times Thursday, pushing it through midnight.
Officially, Las Cruces received 1.35 inches of rain between Monday and Thursday afternoon. That's about a quarter if the total rain received for the entire year.

Overall, this storm has produced about 2 to 4 inches in the county, said meteorologist John Park who works in the National Weather Service's El Paso office. His agency's forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of rain Friday, noting that some areas of the county could receive heavy rainfall.

After consecutive days of rainfall, Doña Ana County Flood Commission Director Paul Dugie said many of areas of the county are saturated. That increases the flood risk.

"Anything now is just running off," he said.

If more significant rain falls, it appears many county residents will be prepared.

Crews at Doña Ana County Fire and Emergency Services Department were reportedly working Thursday to fill sandbags.

Fire Marshal Robert Monsivaiz said county fire houses ran out of sandbags Thursday morning due to the demand during this sopping week.

Area fire departments typically keep sandbags on hand for such conditions. Sandbags are available at the Las Cruces and Mesilla fire departments, officials said. Mesilla Fire Chief Kevin Hoban said crew were planning to fill 180 sandbags for town residents.

Monsivaiz said sandbags are available at the county's 19 fire stations. Three stations serve as hubs to the others, storing hundreds of sandbags on pallets. Combined those hubs went through about 500 sandbags, he said.

Monsivaiz was expecting to have more by Thursday afternoon.

Area law enforcement agencies reported no serious crashes or injuries they attributed to the rain or subsequent flooding.

Still the rainfall prompted many officials to reiterate the importance of avoiding rushing water in roadways or streets. They recited a familiar phrase, "turn around don't drown," a slogan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It takes just six inches of water to stall many cars or cause them to lose control, according to the FEMA website. More water can float vehicles and possibly carry them away.

The inclement weather pushed the Gadsden Independent School District to cancel parent-teacher conferences scheduled for Thursday.

Las Cruces Public Schools spokeswoman Jo Galvan said some school facilities had leaking roofs and some phone line damage, but "nothing serious." Several parents called to ask about Thursday's LCPS class schedule, which was unaffected.
Those that weren't adversely affected by the storm seemed to relish the unusually steady and heavy rains.

Wrote Irma Guzman on the Sun-News' Facebook page: "I wouldn't have it any other way! Our summers make me enjoy rainy days and the annual snow fall we get."

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